Before we get inside of what happened during the Malabar Rampage, I would like to talk a little bit about what Rickshaw Challenge had brought the expectation of. People sign up for various reason, birthdays, stag party, after university get together, family outing, honeymoon, marriage proposal and most importantly to break the monotony.

This adventure hits the bucket list of many people around the word equated with bungee jumping and other such similar adventure. The adrenaline rush which you get when you drive in an unfamiliar vehicle in the toughest traffic in the world is not second to anything. It’s really hard to bring out the translation of the feeling in any language, what you experience. I am repeatedly trying to improvise my sense of translation of what the participants go through, it is a tough job as the filters of memory and expression would spew out only a part of what crude I would be getting. Excusing myself on my lack of language skills and ardent writing skills. This is an experience which no one can justify only other than you participate in it.

Day 1 – Love at first sight

April 6th was a Saturday and it is the first day of the Malabar Rampage 2019. The roasting summer has just started in all parts of India and people are warned in newspapers to avoid direct exposure to sun. As usual the organizers drive from Chennai to Trivandrum, check list of preparation, preparing a place for practice and finally the charged swiping machine, are all the mandatory stuff.

The registration was well on time, myself, Vishakh and Arun were ready with the merchandize and paper work. When we arrived at the reception of the base hotel, I could see some of the faces I saw in the profile page of road book, in the breakfast area. Many of them were staying for the past couple of days to avoid the last minute rush and jet lag.

Team 3, Flair Force One and Team 4, The Fast and Flairious were the first teams to register. The father and son duo of Dinish and Neel  has made their own teams of Team 3 and Team 4 respectively. Flair is their company name and they are into interiors in Britain. Dinesh an ever young person pulled up Shekhar, his Indian associate who lives in Varanasi and Neel teamed up with his relative Ram.

Team 8, The Chutney Chariot and Team 9, Cool Runnings were other two teams which followed for the registration. Rick wanted to throw a stag party and Rickshaw Challenge made it to fulfill the idea. But his father and father in law accompanied him with the teams. Now we need to think again was the stag party idea right? Rather I would call a family get together with only David is the outsider from the family.

Team 5, NYC -50 and Flaming 50 consisted of another friends group who wanted their 50^th year birthdays memorable. Ashley was a Bangalore based working person who brought his friends from America, Singapore and England to celebrate his 50^th birthday.

Team 7, Jamaican Me Crazy, had their reggae theme and consisted of father and daughter. Paul, who is working in China as an English teacher, brought his daughter for her birthday and graduation celebration.

Team 1, Adventure for Dementia, wanted to spread the awareness of Dementia. The team consisted of three members and in that Sarah is a Yoga teacher back in England, who had been to India before, teamed up and came for fun and purpose.

Last but not the least, Team 2, Breaking Wind had just Susanne during the registration as the rest of the members were all on their way. Incidentally Team 2 and Team 7 know each other as Paul from team 7 and Josette from Team 2 know each other from Vietnam where they were working in the same school. Thus the registration got over with a lengthy introduction of teams we shall enter in to the event.

Briefing was done in the bar at the base hotel. At 11 am we just introduced ourselves to each other and discussed how connected we need to be during the next 9 days an what everybody was expecting from the incredible country called India. Malabar Rampage is a 3 state rally starting from Kerala, we cross Karnataka and finish it in Goa.

Then the most important session of practice started at 2.30 pm. Before this, a small drama of cat and mouse game started. Team 8 and Team 9 were there in the training ground at 2 pm and they started to drive with the help of Chennai Garage support team. Without no time they became professionals just like a fish in the water.

Team 3 and Team 4 also had no issues to drive it. Same wise Team 5 and Team 6 also started well. The all women team of Team 1 and Team 2 faced more difficulty and they were honest that they were not expecting it to be tough. Starting the engine was the tough part. Many hands were blistered. Some of them got cycling glove and smartly escaped the first day blistering.

Final challenge for the day was to tank up and drive to the hotel. All so smooth, that one by one all the teams drove up to the base hotel and had a finish feeling for that, even though they were aware of the drive which they are making it to Goa.

Finally for the day, all the teams joined the welcome drink at the base hotel bar. Rest is too loud to hear and the final set of teams were literally begged to go to sleep. Thus an eventful day came to the end.

Day 2 – Shopping time in Trivandrum

In Trivandrum, Chennai Garage got a small parking place which they use for the preparation as well. The owner of the spot, Deepak suggested a plan to a mall in Trivandrum where they set a surprise for the teams. As usual our mini challenge was added with the extra task of driving to the mall and back. When they arrived in mall they had the surprise of media coverage.

The first team to call for support for the day was Team 7 and it was right before the Trivandrum railway station, in no time the problem was fixed by the support staff and rest is all just a cake walk to all the teams. Some of them even travelled to Kovallam (a beach, 25 km away from Trivandrum) and got back well before 6.30 pm.

This day works well as a practice day on road before they take the main traffic on Monday morning on the way to Alleppey.

Day 3 – Beach surprise at Varkala

The day broke with color and fun as many teams walked out with their costumes for the rally. It was such a colorful morning the feel of start became a celebration at the base hotel. With 9 teams and 23 members, Malabar rampage was flagged off from Trivandrum.

Our Destination for the day was Alleppey, also known as Alappuzha, known for its backwaters and houseboats. The days challenge was to click pictures with the teams making chai. What fun the teams had doing such task. The conversation with the locals and how they were looked on when they asked that were all priceless. You need to live that movement to understand what I am talking about.

What was looking like an easy and uneventful day came to a sudden jolt. Town Alleppey was in festive mood for the upcoming Vishu in Kerala. So many roads were closed. We are just finding our way to the hotel. Team 2, Breaking Wind called me for the service and they told us that they are in some house. The owner of the house spoke to me and with the understanding of the spot my support team had to walk back to get the teams as all the roads were closed for procession.

Eventually, they spotted the Rickshaw and repaired it. It took more time to get back to the hotel as the roads were all blocked and the service team had to row through that crazy traffic. Thus the first day came to the end. The highlight of the day was the visit of the beach Varkala. Many teams had a solid one hour to stay there and some even swam in the waves. Getting wet and getting dried up in the rickshaw was like a trick to escape the crouching sun. You all need to understand what the salt sea would do to your body.

Day 4 – Relaxed and easy day to Fort Kochi

The day’s drive was just 80 km and most of the teams were ready to go check the boat house raid in the backwaters. The Challenge of the day was also related with boathouse. Team 8, The Chutney Chariot and Team 9, Cool Running, planned a different route through the backwaters to Kochi. Eventually they lost count on how many boat rides they had to do with the rickshaw. The trip turned amphibian hopping from land to water and getting back to land.

The base hotel in Kochi was also a soother. Fort Kochi had many more things to offer. The question on spices also spiced up the day. Some spa activity was happening and there was such a rush form all our teams. Eventually the spa consultant had tough time handling the bookings.

Day 5 – The most congested drive to Calicut

Today I planned no briefing as that would delay the process of handling the most challenging drive of the whole trip. Crossing the phase one is the whole stuff is all about. I hardly saw any team that day. They had to put use all their energy to navigate the crazy traffic. All the teams had their own fun with plenty of remote beaches and some ferry in the beginning and the finish. Such a great and tiring day came to a peaceful finish.

Day 6 – Crossing borders for Mangalore

We had 8 am briefing at the breakfast area and the surprise was an offline recommendation of Mullapzhangadu drive in beach. Drive a passenger was the day’s challenge.

The absolute normal day came to the support mode when I hit the same beach. I received a support call from Team 1, Adventure for Dementia. They had their clutch burnt out and it needed a replacement. Actually the first place they broke down had such crazy traffic that we could hardly do any work there. So second time they called up and the work was done at around 4 pm. Mangalore had 100 km from the spot and we know there is going to be a delay. The team 1 was worried a bit but the advice of enjoying the journey, rather than  being worried about the destination worked and they moved to the destination with motivation and support.

The excess heat brought rain and thunder at around 6.30 pm. Team 4 were the first people to report about that and later we found from google maps that a thick read strain is there for couple of kilometers around that. Only couple of teams finished the day within the stipulated 6.30 flag off time. The last team to sail in was Team 1 at around 7.30 pm with the support following them. Thus the longest drive came to end and we reached the next state Karnataka.

Day 7 – To the serenity of Murudeshwara

The briefing was planned for 8.30 am and the teams were informed about the Udupi town. The Day was filled with surprise beach pictures from Team 5 and Team 6. They also had their lunch at the mass feeding at the Udupi temple.

Another no problem day came to the sleepy town of Murudeshwara. The beach and the Shiva statue, is a popular background of numerous Rickshaw Challenge participants. The town went dry (no alcohol…) and that was broken by Team 3 and Team 4 with their purchase from Magalore. Together all had the dinner time. Plenty of stories and loads of fun. This was the night were I got the proper connections of the teams and their stories behind the theme.

The mustache challenge, made me popular as every team wanted a picture with me to finish of their challenge.

Day 8 – Go Go Goa

The final morning briefing was over, Team 8 and Team 9 and gave me couple of challenges to finish. I made a small effort and it was fun. Team 1, did not want to take any chance as the Kilometers were 230km to Panaj.  Rest of the teams formed convoy for some. Same wise, all teams turned towards Gokarna, Om beach. When I reached the spot in Gokarna couple of teams were already in the sea to swim.

The final day had no hurry as all the teams reached the hotel only after 5.30 pm. Stopped at most of the beaches and detours which all of them lost count. Thus the official 1000 km drive would have extended above 100 more km on detour and getting lost.

Such an amazing journey has to finish and the finish was also in a bar. All started at a bar came to close at the bar. Team 1 was awarded the Charity award as they raised more than 5000 pounds for the cause they support (Dementia). Team 4 took the bonkers, as they were the most entertaining team and they served the shots at the beginning to the shots to finish at Panaji bar. With the theme of Statue of Liberty, to their total dedication to the points score and the most important VSOP Brandy for the bribe made the Team 5, NYC-50 the champions.

The party began with the birthday celebration of 4 people, Ashely, Stephen, from the champion team, Adam from Team 8, The chutney chariot and the youngest participant Charlotte from Team 7, Jamaican Me Crazy. The party came to a finish at around 11 pm due to election restriction. But nothing could restrict our after party at the hotel, clearing all the minibar drink options.

Such a crazy journey came to a finish and let us all team up for the next rally from Goa to Mumbai the Deccan odyssey 2019. See you all then, bye.

It had been a crazy event but the Mumbai Xpress Rickshaw Challenge 2018 eventually had to draw to a close. All teams had impressed by surviving despite the floods, the road closures, and the hangovers! Here is Princely’s review of the final two days:

Day 13

The destination on Day 16, Vellore, was only a cruise on highway away. The six lane highway provided a relaxing day in contrast to the drama that had come before! Drive-in Mc Donalds, Ambur Briyani was all they could taste in that day. The day was bright with the sun back to its usual cruelty. Vellore fort and bar in the base hotel were the rest of the scene in Vellore. The local wedding season gave the participates lot of stories and the innumerable selfie experience will not be able to narrate to all.

Day 14

The final day went by in a blink of an eye. The final destination was Chennai, and we started early from Vellore, first visiting a project of Round table. Everything went well. We had the flag-down ceremony at the school project at 3.30 pm in a suburb of Chennai. Team 14 was awarded championship for their tremendous job they did coordinating the teams to pull out of the Western Ghats and eventually reach the destination. The Crazy team was Team 6 for the innumerable times they broke down. The Charity award went to Team 3 Yorkshire for their great contribution towards the organizers of expensive brandy and vodka!

That is all the fun time we had from Mumbai Xpress. Hope you all to join us in the upcoming events of Rickshaw and Ambassador Cars. Until then, it’s a big bye from me Princely and my entire team.

Deccan Odyssey Day 9

 

The final day euphoria struck all the teams; I do not know how they all made it to the maddening traffic of Mumbai in such a record time. All the teams made it to Mumbai before 5 pm and we made our finish ceremony at 5.30pm at base hotel. All during the day we got just one service call, regarding a broken clutch cable for Team 9. Team 6 N Gold was judged the Champions for their extra effort on doing all that was recommended in the day sheet and for their absolute stunning photography.
 

The Mad Brits Team 5 ‘The Rickshaw RAMraiders’ won the Bonkers award for their crazy stunts.
 

Team 4 ‘What can go Wrong’ won the charity for their effort in fund raising.
 

All teams were given medals for their achievement which shouldn’t be thought of as inferior. Driving Indian roads for 1000 km in various stages is a champion act and by that criterion all the teams that finished the rally are champions. See you for the next adventure and until then, bye!
 

 
 

Deccan Odyssey Day 8

 
If you had read the final update on Day 7, I mentioned about the Team 12 ‘Dushi’ and their wish to continuing the rally. On the 8th morning when I sat down in the reception before the start of the briefing, I was casually chatting with the teams who had assembled early there. One such team was Team 12 and Adam narrated a story which was horrifying to an Indian. Yes, the day we came to Aurangabad they had a good hotel booked by themselves, as they had not taken accommodation with us. They had their prescription from their doctor, back home and wanted a clinic to execute the medicine for them. Their search brought them to a small clinic close to the place where they planned to stay. The place was dingy and they decided it’s all right and wanted to finish the prescribed stuff and leave. To theie surprise they were not permitted out of the clinic till next day afternoon, with various reasons cited. It was a nightmare from Adam and they finally had to spend an exuberant amount of Rs.8, 000/- as the stay rent and Rs.3,000/- for the advocated drips. That is almost a hostage situation.
 

 
Getting back to the rally story, we had our briefing at 8 am that morning and all the teams were there. The day plans were explained and all the teams left in 15 minutes. As usual the luggage and support teams had their breakfast and started from the base hotel at 9 am. At around 12 noon I wanted to check the whereabouts and I found out that we took a different route than that of the official route. So I made adjustments to get to the official route and that took an hour and then I got a call from Team 2 for service; they were 40 Km further down in the official route. It took us one hour to reach them. By that time a local had invited them home, serviced the rickshaw and cultural exchange pictures had happened. However, the service they rendered was not up to the mark and we had to do it again after another half an hour of driving. After that it was pretty much a straight drive to Nashik. The vineyard tour was enjoyed by all and Team 9 had to be reminded that they had to drive back to the hotel. The penultimate day came to an end.
 
 

 
 

Deccan Odyssey Day 6

 

 
Another long day but we had our usual timing for the start. That was because Aurangabad is not a town like Pune. Aurangabad is relatively easy to navigate. The day was filled with many service calls. During the briefing we celebrated the birthday of Najwa Bowman of Team 3 ‘Alice in Rickshawland’. Following the celebration, we had a bad news as one of the Team members of Team 12 ‘Dushi’, Miyoung Ryu had fallen ill and incidentally both the teams are friends who signed up together. Quickly they were advised to take a taxi and the rickshaw was driven by the support crew to the next station. Team 5 were the first to call and it was near Ahmednagar ‘Cavalry tank museum’. They had spark plug issue and it was sorted out in no time.

 
After that me and the team stopped for the lunch and continued our plan to the destination. By 3 pm I received a call from Team 2 that they had the clutch cable broken and they were at the same museum place mentioned earlier. By the time we were 30 km ahead of them. So to reach them it took 4 pm and the repair took no time. Before that the team was surrounded by 4 to 5 locals helping them in every possible way. If we had delayed for another 10 minutes they would have got fixed and started. Such is India and that is what the participants relish. Then it was pretty much a smooth drive to the base hotel. All the teams made in time and were excited about the rest day in Aurangabad.
 

Deccan Odyssey Day 7

 

 
Even though it is considered a rest day, the mysterious Ellora caves did not allow me to pronounce it as such. Aurangabad has such many things to see around. Even though we did not had any briefing, we had day sheet and challenges to do. The teams were informed about the late start and all of them came to the reception around 10 am. They day went without any issues and it is evident from the photos that all had a great time in the caves. Team 11 had also messaged me that they are ready for the next day trip to Nasik. More to come, until then it’s bye from me and the teams.
 

 
 

Deccan Odyssey Day 4!

 
A short drive of 130 km to Kolhapur did not go without many exiting stories. Team 10’s jinxed luck continued for a second day. Despite a few new parts the vehicle still did not run smoothly. Most of the teams came straight to the base hotel and then they went inside Kolhapur to complete the day’s challenge. Team 4, Team 7 and Team 6 ‘N Gold’ did the water falls which were recommended in the day sheet. They explained it was some tough drive with a mix of bad roads and steep climbs. However, the amazing tuk tuks mastered it perfectly and all of them came in to the base hotel around 6 pm. The short day had gone well and everyone was looking forward to another exiting day and beautiful surprises.
 

Deccan Odyssey Day 5!

 

The departure from Kolhapur was planned as an early start due the long distance; the challengers needed to drive all day. By 7.30am the briefing was done and before 8 am all the teams left the base hotel. I had no calls till I reached the Auga Khan palace. Team 9 ‘Txikas tikka’ were the first team to reach the palace to do the challenge for the day. Team 10 ‘Double Deccan’ followed them. It was a great relief to see them reach Pune without any issues, as they had so many problems after problems the previous day. After couple of hours the Palace entry was closed and we had to leave the parking of the palace. By the time I reached the base hotel there were 5 teams which had to make it to the hotel.
 

Then I had a call from Team 5 ‘The Rickshaw RAMraiders’ that they had broken down and they were just 3 km from the hotel. But it took more than an hour to negotiate Pune traffic, finding them, make it ready and to get back to the hotel for the mechanic team. By 7.30 pm all the teams arrived. The previous day there was an incident I would like to mention here. Team 11 ‘Bocholt Sunrise’ went to a restaurant for food in Kholapur and one of the three member left their hand bag there. The hotel people collected the bag and found out  rickshaw challenge shirt and called our office in Chennai and informed them about the missing bag. In turn my office people gave my number and the restaurant people contacted me and I collected the bag from them. It was given to them in the morning and they were super overwhelmed by the Indian honesty. To my mind they were just lucky.
 

 
 

The Deccan Odyssey 2018 Day 3!

 

 
Belgaum is 130 km from Goa and is in the state of Karnataka. The real test of adventure is the mountain roads en route to Belgaum. The day started at 7.30 am when the teams dropped their bags and had breakfast. The briefing was at 8 am and we had photo session at 8.20 am. The costumes and colourful outfits ofthe  participants created an energetic environment. The day started out smoothly. The first call was from Team 9. I started from the hotel at 9.30 am and after crossing Ponda I saw team 9 were talking to police and the same police officer stopped me to check  documents. Luckily for Team 9 my visit helped the officer understand our adventure and he waved us off with good luck.
 

 
Before I reached Ramnagar, I met Team 7 ‘Flying High’ and they were worried about their fuel condition. They guessed the kilometres wrong and the uphill consumed more petrol than they predicted. Luckily I remembered a spot where we could get petrol in bottles. The team was guided to the spot and they resumed their journey further. The real trouble started after this incident.
 

 
Simultaneously two things happened which made the day tedious for the next two hours. One was that the luggage van had some problem and got stranded on a different route. Secondly, Team 9 called for service at the place called Mollem. The service team were 30 km ahead of them and they needed to cover the mountain path again to catch them up. I went in search of the Genio to make a recovery or plan an alternative. The time was 2 pm and the next two hours I went completely out of coverage area. When I came in to coverage area there were couple of mixed news. Happy news is that the Genio got back limping to the hotel in Belgaum. Bad news was it was then that the service team reached Team 9. By calculations I know it will take at least 7 pm for the team 9 to reach the base hotel.

 
Meantime Team 10 ‘Double Deccan’ had broken down at Belgaum and they could not reach me. So the available call reached Aravind and he had to call all the available sources to reach me. But it was only after I got to the coverage area all things slowly settled down. As expected the Team 9 reached the base hotel at 7.30. Team 10 had some kind hearted Indians to help them and made their way to base hotel They were in very bad mood as they expected all to be smooth and their frustration increased due to non-reachable mobile help line situation. Finally all of the teams sat down for dinner and they all the tough times were laughed out with “King of good times” – Kingfisher beer.

Deccan Odyssey 2018 Day 2!

 

 
Team 11 Bocholt Sunrise came late on the first day and they missed all the session. So on the second day a special training was planned to make them drive the rickshaw. It was planned at 10 am to start their training session. By 11 am rest of the teams gathered to do the Mini challenge: drive to St. Francis Xavier Church, take a team photo, and report back with the answer to a testing triva question. Team 9 ‘Txikas tikka’ was still one person short until the other team member was cleared to visit India and it was happy news for the all-female team.

 
By 5.00 pm all the teams finished the mini challenge and got back to base hotel. Second member of Team 9 joined her team mate at 6.00 pm. The day was not uneventful, however. Team 1 were the first to call for service; there was some block in petrol tank which was cleared by the mechanics. Team 4 ‘WHAT CAN GO WRONG!!!’ went to a wrong place which was 30 km away from the original pin! That’s the problem of blindly following Google Maps. Check and recheck till you are sure the place you visit is the key and finding place by human positioning system is the fun way which is missing nowadays in the rickshaw challenge. Technology kills our imagination by spoon feeding information.
 

 
 

The Deccan Odyssey 2018!

 

Welcome to the new edition of Deccan odyssey, the rally in to the heart of Deccan plateau. The first week of every June is considered as the start of Monsoon in the west cost of India. The 2018 Monsoon has started a week earlier than its normal start and by the time I landed in Goa it was raining cats and dogs. The prediction of more rain for the coming days dampen my mood a bit. But the enthusiasm of the participants from 10 different countries during the registration kept the spirits high.
 

As punctuality is habit of Rickshaw Challenge, we started the registration exactly at 9 am in the lobby of base hotel in Panaji, Goa. Team after team finished their registration except team 11 and one member of Team 9. The briefing started at 11 am and as usual some introduction to what to expect and explained the arrangements for the next 10 days were briefed. Participants were warned enough about driving on Indian roads. All this was happening inside the hotel but outside the rain kept pouring.
 

At 2 pm training was scheduled in a parking lot at Mercers church. Miraculously, the rain stopped. Training went well and all the teams had some quality time behind the wheels to take the treacherous Indian traffic. The first challenge was to find the base hotel from the practice ground. Team tcano. 12 was the first one to call. Their first fueling had bad mix of oil to petrol and that blocked the carburetor. It was fixed in no time as the mechanics were close to them. Thus the whole day came to finish with welcome party at local goan specialty restaurant. All the teams unwind their day with beers and loosened up after an anxious day of training and driving on the Indian road.
 

 

Setting Off

The most important task on the final day: get the perfect photos of your team, and rickshaws, to remember the event by!
 

Gokarna

Before Goa, Gokarna. This beach in Karnataka was the perfect spot for some rest, some lunch, and maybe a quick dip.
 

Hill Racing

After a week of learning the ropes, teams were now rickshaw experts. The hilly route made for a great challenge, with lots of chances (gladly taken) for adventurous overtaking.
 

Going, Going, Goa

And we made it to Goa! Here are Team Ice Road Truckers, who would later receive the Charity award.
 

Outlaw Trouble

Some teams made it to the hotel nice and early. As ever, though, the Outlaws were in trouble. One of their rickshaws needed an entirely new engine. For a while, we wondered if they’d even make it. Miraculously they did; and, best of all, not even in last place…
 

Better Late than Never!

The girls from Tuktukarama had been some of the day’s earliest risers, and had ‘decorated’ the rickshaws of Team Midlife Crisis. Karma paid them back, and in some style, though, as their first serious breakdowns of the week hit them not far from the finish line. They arrived 3 hours late, but they were quickly compensated when awarded the Bonkers Trophy.
 

The Winners!

Finally, when everyone had arrived, it was time for speeches, beers, and the final ceremony. Mostly importantly, the event winners were announced: The Tukkle Brothers, and it was richly deserved win. Afterwards, many of the teams went to explore the famous Anjuna night market — before a night celebrating the end of a great event. Till next year!